Four-handed Chess by Capt. George Hope Verney

Around 1881, Capt. George Hope Verney wrote a booklet on an invention of
him: a variant of chess for four players. Verney's game was one of a
series of variants with similar characteristics: a board in the shape of
a cross (two, three or four lines are added to each side of an eight by
eight chessboard), with four sets of usual pieces. There were both
earlier and later variants of the game, and still nowadays, similar
variants are marketed. Verney's game received much attention in and
outside London, and for many years, London knew a four handed chess club
(from 1885 till World War II). In 1885, Verney wrote an extensive book
on chess variants.

The book

A relatively
small format, which still allows the book mostly to be read. Filesize is
about 10K per pair of pages.

A more detailed format. This gives filesizes per page up to slightly
more than 100K per pair of pages.

The HTML formatted text of the book, which is faster to load and may be
cut and pasted. This text version of the book was created by David Howe, using OCR (optical character recognition) which is not always accurate, so please do point out any errors.

List of pages

Missing page-numbers only were empty pages. Each link points to a
gif-file with the pages from the book.

Booklet Text

"Thus have I seen a king at chess,
His rooks and knights withdrawn,
His queen and bishops, in distress,
Shifting about, grow less and less,
With here and there a pawn."

DRYDEN.

LONDON

GEORGE ROUTLEDGE AND SONS

BROADWAY, LUDGATE HALL

NEW YORK: 9, LAFAYETTE PLACE

PREFACE

On the 20th September, 1881, the following extract appeared in a leading article of the "Times:" --

"Some years ago great attempts were made to introduce Chess for four players, with many more pieces and many more places on the board. The attempt failed from the fact that four people will generally be found more agreed to play a rubber than to condemn themselves for a long night to one game of Chess. For most people, and for common use, the game wants simplifying rather than complication, and less strain on the mind rather than more."

I sent the following letter to the "Times," which by the courtesy of the Editor was inserted in the issue of the 22nd September, 1881: --

"FOUR-HANDED CHESS.

"To the Editor of the 'Times.'

"SIR, -- As one who for many years has played the game called Four-handed Chess, and who still continues to play it with a few friends regularly every fortnight, will you allow me, through your columns, to point out a few of its salient points to those interested in Chess?

"The game, beyond the fact of its being played on squares and with two sets of ordinary chessmen, whose moves are almost the same as in the ordinary Chess, bears no sort of resemlance to the original game. The antagonists are placed to the right and left of each other, and each party has to defend himself and attack his enemies on his flanks, instead of in front of him. No sort of rules for play can be laid down after the first two moves of each player, as the variety of moves is so infinite that no two games ever bear the least resemblance to each other after these eight moves are played. For this reason, and also because the game on each side is in the hands of two players, whose play must be thoroughly in accord with each other, instead of in the hands of one
player only, the Four-handed Chess cannot claim the scientific features of the ordinary game; but many good
Chess players I have met with have, after a few games, agreed with me that for amusement and interest,
the former game far exceeds the latter.

"I should be glad to hear from any interested in the game, with a view to bringing it more into use, more particularly in Chess clubs.

"Yours faithfully,
"GEO. H. VERNEY.

"THE CEDARS, ESHER,
"Sept 20, 1881."

Since the above letter appeared in
the "Times," I have received so many
communicationa on the subject of Four-handed
Chess, that I have detennmed to
have the rules of the game printed for
the benefit of those who take an interest in the game, or for the benefit of
those who wish to obtain a knowledge
of it.

In laying down rules, I only give
those which govern the play of a few
friends and myself, who have met together now for some years for the
purpose of playing the game, and they
are quite open to such modifications as
may be found acceptable at the time
of play. I have ventured to add a few
remarks of my own, which I think will
interest the players of the game, and I
also hope may assist those who wish to
learn it.

I shall be very glad to hear at any
time from players of Four-handed Chess,
and to promote as far as possible its
introduction both in Chess clubs and
private families.

GEO. H. VERNEY,

THE CEDARS, ESHER, SURREY,

Oct, 1881.

RULES OF FOUR-HANDED CHESS

THE Rules of Four-handed Chess are
in every way similar to those of the
ordinary game, with the following exceptions:-

The board consists of one hundred
and sixty squares, and thirty-two Pieces
and thirty-two Pawns are used for play.

The engraving facing the title-page
represents the board prepared for the
beginning of a game.

The players who are opposite to
each other become partners, and it is
their object to checkmate the other two,
and vice versa. Therefore the players,
Yellow and White, have to unite their
forces both for attack and defence
against the combined forces of the
partners, Red and Black.

On placing the Pieces on the board
it is necessary to be careful to place
all the Queens on the same colour.
In practice we have found it best to
place them all four on the white
squares, as the game is sufficiently
complicated without adding to it, by
having the Queen sometimes on a
white square and sometimes on a black.

Each player in turn makes a move,
passing from right to left, as in Whist.
No communication of any sort or kind
is allowed to take place between the
players with reference to the game;
and no consultation is allowed between
partners: as one of the chief features
of the game consists in the players
finding out each for himself the object
of each move, both of his partner and
of his adversaries; and silently assisting the former in his plans, and
defeating the tactics of the latter.

The Pieces and Pawns of those
players who are partners have no antagonistic influence over each other, as
for all purposes they are working together for the common object of checkmating
their adversaries. In this way
the Kings of partners could meet on
adjoining squares, as in no case do the
Pieces or Pawns of one partner attack
the Pieces or Pawns of the other.

No player is allowed to move a
Piece or Pawn, which move would open
his partner's King to a check from
either of his adversaries; any more
than he may uncover his own King
to a similar check.

Castling is not allowed in Four-
handed Chess.

The Pawns can only move one
square at a time, and not two squares in
the first move, as in the ordinary game.

A Pawn to become a Queen must
by moving diagonally reach the rear
squares of the enemy's game, which can
only be done by its taking the Pieces
or Pawns of one of its adversaries;
therefore, the Pawns cannot be exchanged for Pieces when they reach
the squares at the opposite end of the
board from which they started; such
squares being friendly squares, because
in the hands of their partners. But
should a Pawn by repeated captures,
and thereby moving diagonally, reach
the edges of the board in the ground
of either of its enemies, it becomes a
Queen.

When a Pawn has attained either one
of the ultimate squares of the board,
belonging to a partner, such Pawn
remains there as a Pawn, and moves
back again as a Pawn, one square at
a time, in the same direction; that is,
towards the player. A Pawn, therefore, which has reached either one of
the ultimate friendly squares, should
be marked in some way to show that
it has exchanged its own line of march
for a power exclusively of backward
motion. Should such Pawn return to
the line from which it originally started,
it moves forward again, as it did at first.

As the partners sit opposite to each
other, it sometimes happens that their
Pawns meet on the board. In every
such case, they are allowed to leap
over the friendly Pawn, and place
themselves in their move on the square
beyond; always preserving their forward or backward progression, as the
case may be; but never leaving their file,
save to take a Piece or another Pawn.

The game is only won when two
of the partners are checkmated. Should
one be checkmated, and the other be
stalemated, the game is drawn, as if
both were stalemated.

Should a player be checkmated, his
pieces are not removed from the board,
but must remain in the same position
as when the checkmate occurred. His
partner continues the fight single-handed,
while the player who is in
checkmate cannot move, and therefore
misses his turn; but while his pieces
are inert and useless, both for attack
and defence, they are not liable to
capture by the adversaries, and remain
on the board merely blocking up the
squares they actually occupy, and devoid
of all offensive or defensive properties;
thus should the squares be
open, the adversaries' Pieces and Pawns
may move between them, going into
their check or range with impunity.

A partner may so far use the
Pieces of his checkmated partner as to,
without moving them, protect his own
Pieces from attack by sheltering them
behind the inert pieces of the check-mated
party, whose Pieces still offer the
inoffensive resistance of a lifeless mass.

A partner may at any time, if he
can, release from checkmate the party
who is mated, by either capturing the
Pieces of his adversaries which hold the
checkmate, or by forcing these Pieces to
move in such a way as to release his
partner from that predicament. The
Pieces of the partner thus released regain life, resume their functions, and he
moves again in his regular turn.

An opponent having checkmated a
player, can at any time release the
checkmated adversary, should he consider it desirable to do so, but he cannot
in the same move by which he releases
the mate, take any of the Pieces or
Pawns of the adversary so released.

REMARKS.

IN venturing to offer a few remarks on
the Four-handed Chess, I do not in the
least wish to set up as an authority on
the subject, but merely to record a few
of the experiences which my friends and
I have encountered in the course of
play during several years.

THE BOARD.

In making a board similar to the
engraving facing the title page, I have
found that it is better to have it of a
large size, so as to have the game
clearly mapped out in front of the
players; and therefore I have each of
the squares made two inches square,
which makes the size of the board two
feet four inches square.

For stowing away, the board can
either be made with hinges to fold, or
in four pieces to join together with little
pegs in the edge of each of the four
pieces, similar to tho leaves of some
dining-tables. An ordinary country
carpenter has made mine, and with
complete success. I prefer the squares
painted in plain black and white, as
giving the clearest definition.

THE CHESS-MEN.

I use two sets of Staunton men-one
set is of black and yellow wood, and the
other is of red and white bone. The
latter was made to order for me at the
Civil Service Store in the Haymarket, at
a cost of about eighteen shillings. The
base of the King measures one and
five-eighths of an inch, and is three and
a-half inches high. The above will give
some idea of a good proportion both of
the board and the men.

RULES OF PLAY.

It cannot be too strongly urged that
tho ordinary rules of Chess, with the
exceptions and additions mentioned in a
former chapter, should be strictly ad-
hered to in Four-handed Chess, more
particularly that rule which is so often
neglected by moderate players, that
when a player touches a piece he must
play that piece, and if he takes his hand
off the piece the move must be considered as completed. In an ordinary
double game, whether of Chess,
Draughts, or any other game, there is
only one adversary to consider who may
be affected by relaxing this rule; but in
Four-handed Chess two adversaries and
a partner have to be considered, and any
deviation from this golden rule is liable
to give rise to very serious inconvenience, and to mar the harmony of the
game.

We have never found it necessary to
impose a penalty in the case of a player
moving, or attempting to move, out of
his turn. Great care should be taken,
however, that nothing of the sort should
occur, as the irregular moving of a piece
might, and probably would, reveal to the
other players, both partner and adversaries, the intentions of the player in
moving out of his turn, and might give
an unfair advantage to either side.

THE FIRST MOVE.

We have always found that the part-
ners who secure the first move have
such a decided advantage over their
adversaries, that we have arranged not
to leave this to any chance, but to take
the first move in strict rotation among
ourselves.

OPENING OF A GAME.

I do not think that any better move
for the first player and his partner, the
third player, can be found than that of
their King's Pawn to their King's third,
as these moves at once bring into play
their two most valuable pieces, viz., their
two Queens and their King's Bishops'
It is a very dangerous game for their
adversaries, viz., players two and four,
to adopt, and almost invariably leads to
their disaster; though on the following
page is an example of the opening by the
King's Pawn by all four parties, who find
themselves, at the end of fifteen moves,
having each lost their Queens and their
King's Bishops.

YELLOW.

RED.

WHITE.

BLACK.

1st round

K. P. to K. 3.

K. P. to K. 3.

K. P. to K. 3.

K. P. to K. 3.

2nd "

K. B. takes Red's K. B.

Q. takes White Q. (Check).

K takes Red Q.

K. B. takes White's K. B.

3rd "

Q takes Black Q. (Check)

K. takes Yellow B.

K. to K. square.

K. takes Yellow Q.

4th "

Any move.

Any move.

K. takes Black K. B.

After the opening by the first player
of his King's Pawn, the wisest course
for the second player to adopt is to
move either his Knight on his right
hand, or hia Castle's Pawn on the
same side. Another good opening for
attack would be his Queen's Pawn;
No. 3 player will probably make the
same opening as his partner, viz., his
King's Pawn one square; and No. 4
player will be guided in his move by what
his partner, No, 2 player, has done.
Before the King's Pawns of the
second and fourth players can be moved
with any degree of security, they must,
by moving out their Knights, give their
King's Bishops the protection of their
Castles, as it is undesirable to leave
these Bishops with only the protection
of their Kings, who should not leave
their own squares in the early part of
the game, because the squares on each
side of them are so easily attacked by
their adversaries.

A very pretty attack which I have
seen carried out successfully at the beginning of a game, though it is easily
met by the opponents, is for two
partners to advance each a Knight in
such a manner that, when one partner
checks the King of an adversary with
his Knight, the other partner, in his next
move, checks the Queen of the same
adversary with his Knight. Unless the
adversary receives timely assistance from
his partner, he must necessarily lose his
Queen by this play, as he must at once get
out of the check of his first adversary,
and before the move comes to his turn
again, his second adversary takes his
Queen. This attack can be completed
and the Queen taken in four moves by
each partner.

THE CLOSING OF A GAME.

When a game draws towards a
close, a partner or an enemy left without Pieces at all, or only Pawns, is
nearly valueless either as a partner or
as an enemy. In any case tbey are
nearly powerless, though their Kings
can be of some use both in attack or
defence. It is, therefore, generally
worth while for a player to mako somo
considerable sacrifice to save the last
one or two Pieces of his partner; for
should his partner be left without Pieces,
he would have to repel the attack of his
two enemies alone, which would be
nearly the same odds against him as if
his partner were in checkmate and of no
use to him.

A game may be considered drawn
when only one Piece is lefb on the board,
not including Kings and Pawns, on
either side. A double checkmate can
then never ensue. As long as one player
has two Pieces on the board, or two
partners have each a. Piece, they can,
with the assistance of their Kings,
secure a double checkmate; but a game
at this stage is scarcely worth playing
out to the bitter end, except in the
hope of making it a drawn game by
the loss of one of the two Pieces, or
by securing a stalemate for one of the
players.

THE NUMERICAL VALUE OF THE PIECES.

The relative values of the Pieces at
Four-handed Chess are somewhat different to those in the ordinary game,
and also differ considerably at various
stages of it. The following ia an approximate numerical table of the value
of the Pieces:

THE KING.

The King is of little value for attack,
except just at the close of the game, and
then only if the player has lost all his
other Pieces. He may then with his
King help his partner to secure a checkmate.

THE QUEEN.

The Queen is of even greater value
than in the ordinary Chess, and therefore considerable sacrifice may be
incurred to secure her capture. The value
of a Queen can hardly be estimated, as
her range on the board is so extensive,
and her powers so great, that she would
prove a formidable opponent to several
minor pieces.

THE CASTLES AND BISHOPS.

In ordinary Chess a Bishop and a
Knight are considered of about equal
value, but in Four-handed Chess the
Bishop's value far exceeds the value of a
Knight, and very often that of a Castle.
Towards the end of a game, the value of
a Bishop and a Castle are about equal.
The reason of this difference is that the
range of the Bishop in the four-handed
game is much more extended than in the
ordinary game, but the Knight has no
such increased advantage. The Bishop is
early brought into play, and its influence
is felt long before that of the Castle can
be brought into the game, more particularly as castling is not allowed. For this
reason, if there is no particular attack
meditated or defence required, it is well
to advance the Castle's Pawns early in
the game, so as to bring the Castles into
play when required. In the early part
of a game, a King's Bishop is of greater
value than a Queen's Bishop.

THE KNIGHTS.

The play of the Knight in the game
is of great importance, and probably the
Piece the most difficult to make the best
use of. For carrying out a checkmate
in the early part of a game, with the
assistance of either the Queen or Bishop
of a partner, its value is very great,
Towards the end of a game it rather
decreases in value.

THE PAWNS.

The value of the Pawns is considerahly less in the Four-handed Chess
than in the ordinary game. It is almost
impossible to obtain a Queen, as it is
necessary to get a Pawn on one of the
back squares of either of the adversaries,
and this can only be effected by taking
his Pieces or Pawns, and gaining a Queen
by working in a diagonal direction
limiting the number of squares on
which it is possible to obtain a Queen
to six on the side of each adversary.
A Pawn can in no case take in the
reverse direction in which it id travelling, though
in returning from the
furthest end of the board, its powers of
taking would be the reverse of those it
would possess on its journey forwards.